In a land troubled by witches and feuding clans, step-sisters Kate and Katherine form an unlikely friendship over a shared love of fairies. This does not go down well with everyone . . . Grizel Maxwell may be Kate's mother, but she is also a witch, and jealously plots to get rid of Katherine with a curse, forcing Kate and Katherine to leave their homeland to escape the evil witch and seek a cure for her terrible spell. First published in 1963, Katherine Briggs' wonderful re-casting of the classic fable of friendship conquering all is a rare and beguiling mix of folk-lore and fantasy. The author's own fascination with the English folk-lore tradition imbues the telling with seriousness and beauty that transcend its generic roots.

 

There are 224 pages in this book. This book was published 2009 by Faber & Faber .

Katherine Mary Briggs was born in north London in 1898, the eldest of three daughters. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, obtaining her MA in 1926. In the years that followed she wrote and produced many plays, alongside studying towards her PhD which she completed with a thesis in folklore in seventeenth century literature. Briggs went on to write various books on fairies and folklore, including the definitive four-volume Dictionary of British Folk-Tales. Her children's books include Hobberdy Dick and Kate Crackernuts. She was awarded the Doctorate in Literature in 1969 and spent the latter part of her life working for the Folklore Society, which named an award in her honor. Briggs died in 1980.